CLEVELAND — Apple’s long-awaited streaming video service is being rolled out to the masses. AppleTV+ is the first of many newcomers to hit the market in the coming months.
For users who purchased Apple devices after September, they are welcomed with a year of service free. Without a new device, you can still trial the service free for seven days. After that, you’ll pay $4.99 for a host of NEW content.
Let’s put an emphasis on new. Some streaming platforms are launching featuring content that’s already readily available in other places.
Netflix, which starts at $8.99 per month, is a mix of content that has been purchased, like reruns of Friends and Seinfeld, along with originals like Stranger Things, House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.
But as more streaming services enter the market, there’s less content to go around. Friends will move from Netflix to HBO Max when the latter is launched in May 2020. The service is going to cost $14.99 at launch featuring WarnerMedia content along with HBO favorites. If you subscribe to HBO Now directly through HBO or through your AT&T provider (DirecTV or UVerse), HBO Max is included automatically.
But you won’t have to wait nearly as long for Disney+. That services launches November 12 at $6.99 a month and will be a force to be reckoned with. At that price, you get all the Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic content you can imagine. That’s tough to beat.
And if you’re looking for a deal, being a Verizon Customer is your best bet. Verizon will offer new and existing 4G LTE and 5G unlimited wireless customers a year of free Disney+.
If you’re a sports fan, ESPN+ is a cool option. It features live sporting events plus some ESPN+ Originals like Peyton’s Places and Detail from the Mind of Kobe Bryant for $4.99. That’s still a hard sell if you’re not an avid sports fanatic. But I have to admit, 30 for 30 is always good.
NBC has also announced a streaming service called Peacock (I see what you did there, NBC), which will launch in April 2020 with over 15,000 hours of content (including The Office). A huge focus will also be given to next year's Olympics coverage, which will take center stage in July. While pricing hasn’t been announced, NBC says there service will be “advertising and subscription supported,” suggesting free and paid options.
And of course there are plenty of other services out there too. There’s Hulu, YoutubeTV, Amazon Prime Video and many others that will likely come in the future. There's also a host of services that stream to see live TV on the go, such as Sling, Hulu Live, and AT&T TV Now.
Obviously, subscribing to every option is a pricey adventure – and you probably wouldn’t have enough time to watch all of the content anyway. And you also have to pay attention to see what services are available on which devices (i.e. AppleTV, Roku, FireTV, Xbox, etc.)
While the prices are low now, you can expect them to rise over time as the cost to buy and create content becomes more expensive. Cutting the cord was once a novel idea, but broadcast TV doesn’t look so bad anymore, and it’s a lot less confusing.
***(Pricing current as of November 1, 2019.)***